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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Gummy Hearts for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I tried my hand at making homemade gummy candy for the first time. Turned out it wasn't very hard at all. It took about half an hour, and then it needs one night to firm up properly. And that's all there's to it. You need some special equipment - a decent thermometer, and silicone candy molds. I actually used ice cube trays from Ikea - a great and cheap option.

I wish I had smaller ones though, so I could make smaller candies as well. You *can* make your own molds from cornstarch, but that seemed like a fairly messy option and I just didn't have the energy for that. Next time, perhaps!

You also need pure glucose, and some kind of candy flavoring. I used "wild strawberry", from Stockholms Eter & Essencefabrik, but I also bought a pure raspberry aroma that I'll try next. They had tons of flavors!

The recipe comes from Vinterns Söta - I've written about it here. It makes really firm gummies, and I think I'll try to cut down on the gelatine just a little bit - maybe half a sheet - next time. Oh, and a note on the gelatine. I used gelatine sheets, and I'm so sorry - but I can't guarantee that the ones I use are the same as the ones available where you live. Sorry!

Start by oiling your mold with a neutral oil - do this carefully so you can get your gummies out! Place the gelatine leaves to soak in cold water.

Mix glucose, water and sugar, and boil until it's 122°C. It will go slowly at first, and much faster as the water evaporates. Meanwhile, melt the gelatine with about 2 tbsp of water on low heat. Do NOT let it boil.

Add the gelatine to the sugar syrup with the food flavoring and color. Let it cool just a little, but not much - it will start to set. Pour it into the molds. Cover loosely with plastic, and leave at room temperature to set overnight.

On the next day, remove the gummies from the molds, and roll them in fine sugar. Mix the sugar with some citric acid if you want your candy to be sour.